The Nebraska Cornhuskers won the first-ever College Basketball Crown, and while they missed the NCAA Tournament, anytime you can win a postseason tournament, it is a success. Looking ahead to the 2025-2026 season, head coach Fred Hoiberg has a roster that is built to make the NCAA Tournament, and most Nebraska fans are going to be furious if they don't!
It's May, and it has been a month since the National Champion was crowned. That has given us all a chance to catch our collective breath and go into evaluation mode for the 2024-2025 season. It also allows us to take a preliminary view of the current team rosters and make broad assumptions about the 2025-2026 season.
When the transfer portal opened, the objective was clear: Coach Fred Hoiberg had to find shooting and depth. There was no way that the Nebraska coaching staff was ever going to find someone or someones to fully replace the production left by graduating seniors Juwan Gary and Brice Williams. Williams had the greatest season in Nebraska basketball history.
Williams and Gary were Nebraska's offense on far too many occasions last season. That led to them starting the year hot, getting themselves firmly in position to make the NCAA Tournament, and then missing it altogether. Williams and Gary got some help in the College Basketball Crown, which led to Nebraska winning that tournament.
It was evident all season long that the Huskers' quality depth was an issue. Outside of Williams and Gary, they had no players they could consistently rely on to score. If the Huskers were going to reach their full potential, they had to acquire some depth.
Big man Rienk Mast announced he was returning to play his final season in Lincoln after recovering from Knee surgery. That was a massive win for Nebraska, knowing they can build around Mast and sharpshooter Connor Essegian.
Quality depth is different for every team in the country, and it is always about how those players fit in with your style. Coach Hoiberg needs to acquire as many shooters and ball handlers as he can. The fanbase wanted Coach Hoiberg to acquire 12 shooters and let the rest come into place, and that is exactly what he did.
Mast is already a shooter and is likely going to be the primary ball handler in the half-court sets. Essegian is known for his ability to shoot a high volume efficiently. Nebraska acquired Jamarques Lawrence from Rhode Island, who returns to Nebraska for his senior season. He is a shooter and will be able to bring the ball up the court in the press break.
Those were the three players most Husker fans are familiar with. Pryce Sandfort from Iowa has a high ceiling as an offensive player, but he will be a 40% three-point shooter. Sandfort is the prize of the transfer class.
Kendall Blue is a transfer from St. Thomas. The hope for the wing is to be the one who can pick up the scoring load left behind by Williams. Blue is a three-level scorer who can get a basket without having specific offensive sets run. Blue has tremendous upside, but has never been the go-to option on offense wherever he has been. Mast will still be the go-to option, but expectations are that Blue will provide a scoring punch for the Huskers. It will be a new role for Blue.
Nebraska added Ugnius Jarusevicius from Central Michigan and Jared Garcia to help with depth in the frontcourt. Those two players can shoot and score efficiently. Will Cooper and Leo Curtis are players who will help in the coming years and are projects. They are both high-upside offensive players.
None of these players will make up for Williams and Gary individually. The hope is that Nebraska will have more balanced scoring and be able to shoot itself out of a slump. Coach Hoiberg likes to load the team with this many shooters, and capable shooters have thrived in the Hoiberg system.
Coach Hoiberg did the work he needed in the transfer portal, and the coaching staff could retain the pieces they needed. The team will shoot, they should score, and the defense will be good. Everything is in place for Nebraska to get back to the NCAA Tournament, and if the current trend continues, there is no reason why the Huskers will not make a postseason tournament every season.
Winning the College Basketball Crown is a huge win for a program that was looking for a jumping-off point. Many of the players from that roster are no longer with the program, but the team has a fantastic core returning. As mentioned, the Huskers were able to add many experienced high-upside pieces to that roster.
The bottom line is this: the time for excuses is over; it is time for head coach Fred Hoiberg to prove that he is the guy to lead Nebraska to its first-ever NCAA tournament win. Hoiberg wants to win a lot, and he loves being at Nebraska. It is now time for the Huskers to take the next step and become a consistent contender for the NCAA Tournament. If they don't, the passionate Nebraska fan base will be furious, and the calls for Hoiberg's replacement will only intensify. The ceiling is very high for the 2025-2026 season.